Currently, Miami has technically zero guaranteed contracts on its books for the 2014-2015 season. LeBron James will probably stay, but the rest of the roster is tenuous depending on how the Heat fare in the team’s quest for a third straight title. If Miami decides to go in another direction with players such as Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or Mario Chalmers (not to mention a second earth-shattering James departure), Indiana would be next in line to the conference throne.
As for other East contenders, Carmelo Anthony could leave the Knicks after next season (unlikely, but possible), and the entire mass of overpaid, injury-prone players around him would be pretty useless without him.
Chicago has a strong, long-term core in Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler, but those four players aren’t collectively better than what Indiana has locked up. In addition, Luol Deng’s expiring contract hangs like a gray cloud over the Bulls’ future.
In Brooklyn, the future is uncertain after Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson’s preposterously bloated contract. Paul Pierce’s deal is up after next season, and Kevin Garnett is off the books after two campaigns.
While Miami and Chicago basically stood pat in the offseason (getting Rose back will be huge, of course) and New York took a step backwards, Indiana joined Brooklyn as East contenders who improved over the summer. The Pacers made a concerted effort to bolster the second unit, which was positively dreadful last season.
| Bench | Number | NBA Rank |
| 3 FG % | 32.9 | 26 |
| Minutes | 14.9 | 27 |
| Points | 24.1 | 29 |
| Assists | 4.2 | 30 |
| FG% | 39.3 | 30 |
So to recap, the Indiana bench couldn’t score, shoot or distribute. The defense was above average, but the rebounds per game was only 19th. And those were the bright spots for a bench that simply dragged the team down.
No wonder Frank Vogel played his bench so infrequently – 27th in the league in minutes, according to Hoops Stats. The bench makeover was a huge success.
Besides benefitting from either Granger or Stephenson being on the second unit, Indiana made a big splash by acquiring Luis Scola from Phoenix. The 33-year-old posted a career low 47.2 field-goal percentage but still averaged nearly 13 points and 6.6 rebounds with a very healthy 16.7 PER. His defensive numbers have never been very good, but that could be a product of spending his career on poor defensive teams such as the Suns and Rockets. Scola is a significant upgrade from Tyler Hansbrough, to say the least.
Here’s the official, must-read Pacers season preview
Indiana also boosted its point guard depth by acquiring C.J. Watson to replace D.J. Augustin. Watson had the most efficient offensive season of his career, hitting 41.1 percent of his threes with a career high 113 offensive rating, 3.8 win shares and .120 win shares per 48 minutes.
While Watson came over from the Nets, the Pacers signed marksman Chris Copeland away from the rival Knicks. Copeland was supremely efficient last season, scoring nearly nine points in just 5.4 minutes per game on 47.9 percent shooting and 42.1 percent shooting from three with a 16.8 PER that was even better than Scola’s. Combine all these players with promising rookie Solomon Hill, and Indiana has transformed its bench from a weakness to a strength.
Check out Sheridan Hoops’ master list of salaries and owed draft picks
With the team’s core in place and a deeper roster to support it, Indiana is set to contend for a championship this season and beyond. And its future is brighter and more secure than any other Eastern Conference team.
Including Miami.
Shlomo Sprung loves advanced statistics and the way they explain what happens on the court. He is also the web editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. A 2011 graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism School, he has previously worked for the New York Knicks, The Sporting News, Business Insider and other publications. His website is SprungOnSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter.